CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Special Task Force (STF), with support from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other agencies, has secured the extradition of alleged gangster Venkat Garg from Georgia, marking the first-ever extradition from the Eastern European country to India. Garg, 29, a proclaimed offender from Haryana’s Ambala district, was brought back to India on Thursday following coordinated efforts involving the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Haryana Police, Interpol and Georgian authorities. His extradition is also the 10th deportation or extradition secured by the Haryana STF in 2026. According to investigators, Garg is the alleged kingpin of a 53-member criminal gang accused of involvement in murders, targeted killings, attempted murders, extortion, organised crime and illegal arms operations across Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Panchkula and Chandigarh. Officials said Garg faces 34 criminal cases in Haryana and Chandigarh. Before fleeing India, 23 cases had already been registered against him. Authorities allege that he continued to operate his criminal network from abroad through associates, leading to 11 additional cases involving murder, attempted murder, extortion and Arms Act violations. Among the gang’s major crimes are the murder of BSP leader Harbilas in Narayangarh and several extortion-related firing incidents in Ambala and Yamunanagar. Investigations revealed that Garg left India for the United Arab Emirates through Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on December 10, 2024, and later travelled to Georgia on January 26, 2025. During the investigation, STF officials also found that he had allegedly obtained a passport using a fraudulent residential address in Gurugram. The passport was subsequently cancelled on February 4, 2025. To secure his arrest, the Haryana STF initiated multiple legal measures, including the issuance of lookout circulars, an Interpol Red Notice, open-dated arrest warrants and proceedings declaring him a proclaimed offender. Acting on intelligence inputs and coordination through Interpol channels, Georgian authorities located and arrested him. Following his arrest, India submitted a formal extradition request, which was approved after the completion of legal proceedings in Georgia. A Haryana Police escort team travelled to Georgia, took custody of the accused and returned with him to Delhi. Officials described the extradition as a significant milestone in efforts to track down fugitives hiding overseas and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that offenders face justice regardless of where they seek refuge.
